Moving Forward
by luli27
Summary: Sequel to Last Chance. As Trip and T'Pol embark on their new relationship, they encounter unforeseen challenges sooner than expected.
1. Chapter 1

**Moving Forward**

**A/N: **Well, here's the sequel to Last Chance. I honestly had no plans to write a sequel when I started to write LC; it was just that one shot I had to get out. But then I wrote the scene where T'Pol saw Trip with Jennifer and I had the overwhelming urge to write her losing control. But I couldn't because that wasn't the plot I'd plan on. So, musie started planning and before I knew it, I had the plot for a sequel. And here it is!! This one is multichapter as opposed to LC but it is done. First time I ever post a multichapter fic that's done. I'll be posting an ep every two days; maybe sooner if you guys really ask for it :) Blackmail, you say? That's such an ugly word. I didn't say it was the wrong word, just that it is an ugly one :). Anyway, it's only three chapters, though I am thinking of writing another sequel after that. We'll see how it goes.

**Disclaimer: **Nothing but the plot and Jennifer belongs to me.

**Chapter 1**

It was late in the evening when Commander T'Pol made her way to the mess hall for some dinner before she turned in for the night. She was more tired than hungry but she hadn't eaten anything since breakfast and it was only logical to eat something before retiring. It was true that Vulcans could go a long time without much sustenance but it was illogical to deprive the body of the nourishment it needed when there was no need for that deprivation.

While a couple of missed meals could hardly be called deprivation, the fact was, she had been missing most meals for almost a week now and Trip had noticed. He had, in fact, called her on it just that morning. He'd told her that there was no logical reason for all those skipped meals and that if she didn't make sure to eat more regularly, _he'd_ make sure she did. She wasn't completely certain what that threat entailed but she was certain it had been no idle threat and saw no reason to test him. He was right after all; she did need to start eating better.

Knowing he was waiting for her in the mess hall, she entered it and her eyes went directly to where he was sitting as if they had been pulled by a magnetic force. And in a way, they had; the bond they shared served as a beacon, always letting them know precisely where the other one was, at any given moment, and always exerting a subtle pull between them. Like the opposites they were, they always gravitated towards one another.

Seeing him sitting at what had become their table was no surprise; finding that he was not alone, however, was - especially when the person keeping him company was Lt. Jennifer Ramos. The sight of them together froze her in her tracks and for one horrible moment, her brain threw her back in time. The sight of the two of them together, the lateness of the hour and the near emptiness of the room all combined to take her back. Suddenly, it was as if the last two weeks had never been; as if the talk in her quarters had never happened and they hadn't decided to be together and allow their bond to grow.

Thankfully, the moment passed as fast as it came and she was back in the present. With a minute shake of her head, she turned around and walked to the stasis unit, where she picked up a salad. She then walked to the refreshment center and filled a cup with hot tea. With her meal ready, she once again faced the tables. When her gaze once again immediately settled on Trip and Jennifer, her fingers tightened around the tray with so much force that it cracked. It was that sound that brought her back to her senses and stopped her from running to the table and making sure the other woman understood that she was never to have any contact with Trip again.

Taking a deep breath, she deliberately released the white knuckled grip she had on the tray. She knew the younger officer was no threat to her relationship with Trip; he had explained that they'd known each other since childhood. There was no reason for the jealousy or the aggressive possessiveness she was feeling. As she took another deep breath and did her best to control those emotions, she looked around the room to determine where she should sit.

She had planned to sit with Trip, but she did not want to intrude if they were having a private discussion; nor did she want to make it obvious she had come to the mess hall to meet him. They had both decided that it would be better if they kept their relationship under wraps so as to not attract Starfleet's interest. And that was another reason why T'Pol could not rip the other woman's head off – however much she might want to. Such an altercation would most definitely attract Starfleet's interest.

Part of her knew that her reaction was unreasonable but most of her was so preoccupied with the sight of Trip with another woman that she did not stop to think why she was reacting so strongly. And another part was actually proud of her restraint. After all, two weeks ago she would have walked out because she did not trust her control but now she was walking further into the room and had her impulse to hurt the young Lt firmly under control.

She hadn't taken two steps before Trip's eyes met hers and he beckoned her to his table. He had seen her enter and had tried to catch her attention then but she had turned around to get her food and hadn't responded to his attempt. He had been about to contact her through the bond when the myriad of confusing emotions T'Pol had been feeling hit him. That had confused him enough that he hadn't been able to make the contact. Instead, he had decided to wait and catch her eye when she turned back around.

When T'Pol hesitated to accept his silent invitation, Trip frowned for a second before waving his arm and calling out, "Hey, T'Pol. Why don't ya join us?"

After another, undetectable to anyone but Trip, hesitation, T'Pol started walking towards him.

"Commander," she said when she reached his table. She then turned to Jennifer and inclining her head, added, "Lieutenant."

"Commander," Jennifer returned the greeting with a friendly smile.

"So, how was your shift?" he asked as T'Pol sat down.

"Uneventful," was the simple response as she started to eat.

"You mean boring?" Trip teased her, grinning at her. T'Pol just looked up at him without expression.

"I mean uneventful," she repeated. "Vulcans do not experience boredom."

"Right," Trip drawled. "How could I forget?"

"Must be nice to not get bored," Jennifer commented. "I know that I was bored out of my skull today."

"I know what you mean," Trip agreed. "The last few days have been kinda slow." After six months in deep space, the Enterprise was on its way back home for re-supplying and refitting and, since they were less than a week away from Earth, they had found nothing of interest in the last ten days. The crew was starting to exhibit signs of cabin fever.

"That's an understatement," Jennifer scoffed. "It's almost enough to make you want to run into hostile aliens and see some action just to relieve the boredom." Trip started to grin in agreement but T'Pol whipped her head up to look at her.

"Any action with hostile aliens always carries the possibility that a member of the crew could be injured or, worse, killed," T'Pol hissed, leaning forward, closer to Jennifer. "Wishing for such a thing is not only illogical but also irresponsible."

"I'm sorry, Commander," Jennifer started to apologize as Trip looked at T'Pol with eye-wide surprise.

"T'Pol!" he reprimanded her. "She was being facetious."

"People should be careful about what they say," T'Pol informed them, without taking her eyes from Jennifer's. "One never knows the result of a careless word."

"You are right, Commander," Jennifer said, properly chastened. "It won't happen again."

"We all say things we don't mean every once in a while," Trip commented. "Remember that time in high school," he began, trying to smooth things over. Though, Jennifer tried to follow along, the atmosphere had been broken and with T'Pol sitting there with a tight face and exuding icy disapproval, it was unlikely to ever be recovered. Finally, Jennifer gave up and fifteen minutes later she excused herself, saying that she had an early morning and needed to get to sleep.

"Was that really all that necessary?" Trip asked, once Jennifer had walked out of the mess hall.

"What?" T'Pol asked, looking at him with a blank face.

"That!" he answered, sounding exasperated. "The rude way ya shut her down a few minutes ago."

"I did not shut her down," she denied. "I merely made an accurate assessment."

"Right!?" he scoffed. "That was a slap down if I ever saw one – a completely unnecessary one, too. You knew she was just makin' a joke."

"How could I have known that?" she wanted to know.

"Because you're not that clueless when it comes to humor," Trip told her.

"I am also not an expert on it," she argued.

"T'Pol, enough of this semantic argument!" he exclaimed. "I wanna know why you were so rude to her," he demanded. T'Pol just stared at him in stony silence. A few moments later, he sighed and said, "You're not still jealous, are you? 'Cause I already told you there ain't nothing to be jealous about."

"I am not jealous," she insisted, but he could tell she was more than agitated.

"T'Pol," he said, leaning his arms on the table and his face closer to hers. "What the hell is up with you?"

"Nothing is "up" with me," she answered, sounding very defensive.

"Yeah, right," he scoffed again. "You're almost as bad as you were back when we were on the Expanse."

"Are you insinuating that I've been using Trellium again?" she demanded, all but frowning at him.

"No, of course not!" he immediately denied. "I'd never say that."

"That is exactly what you insinuated," she told him, firmly.

"No, it's not," he shook his head and had to take a deep breath to control the irritation that was starting to get the better of him. "T'Pol," he said, slowly, "let's try this again. Why were you so rude to Jennifer? I've never known you to be that impolite to anyone."

"I was not impolite!" she fairly yelled at him.

"Yeah, you were," he more or less yelled back.

"Why are you so concern concerned about how I treat the Lt?" she asked him, frowning. "If you're just friends, you shouldn't be so worried about her feelings."

"We're only . . ." he started to tell her before he stopped. "T'Pol this is crazy. I don't even know why we're arguing; all I wanted was to find out what's wrong with you."

"There is nothing wrong with me!" she said again, slapping the table hard and making his eyes widen in alarm.

"Ok, that right there," he pointed, indicating her reaction, "proves to me that there's definitely something wrong with you. And we're gonna go to the infirmary to find out what."

"I am not going to the infirmary because there is _nothing_ wrong with me," she hissed, leaning forward.

"Yes, you are," he insisted, also leaning forward, "Even if I have to make you."

"I am Vulcan and at least three times as strong as you," she informed him. "How are you going to _make_ me?" She asked him, speaking through clenched teeth.

"Oh, I'll find a way, don't you worry about that," he said. "Even if I have to drag you outta of here."

"You would not dare," she told him.

"Oh, don't tempt me lady," he gave her a smile that was more mocking than amused. "Now, do you wanna walk or would you prefer I carry you out?"

T'Pol glared at him but he only glared back and for some unknown reason, that reaction entranced her. When she realized that she couldn't decide if she wanted to smack him or kiss him, she acknowledged that he was probably right and she should visit sickbay. However, since she was not going to give him the satisfaction of saying so out loud, she just pushed her less than half empty plate away from her and got up. Without checking to see if he was following her, she walked out of the mess hall and started towards sickbay. The trip took less than a couple of minutes and was accomplished in complete silence.

Once the doors swished closed behind them, Trip looked around and when he couldn't find the doctor, called out, "Phlox, you in here?" T'Pol stood off to one side, her arms wrapped around her middle and stared at the floor - her emotions harder to control than she cared to admit.

"Good evening, Commanders," Phlox greeted them when he came out. "What can I do for you this fine evening?"

Trip looked at T'Pol, waiting for her to say something. When she didn't, he sighed and turned back to the doctor.

"Hey, Doc," Trip greeted him. "I think there's somethin' wrong with T'Pol. Could you please check her out?"

"Of course," Phlox answered, immediately walking towards T'Pol. "What seems to be the problem?" he asked her as he picked up a hand held scanner.

"Nothing," T'Pol snapped. Phlox raised his eyebrows at her tone and turned to look at Trip.

"_That's_ the problem," Trip told him, motioning to how T'Pol was acting. "She's been actin' a bit . . . wacky; plus," he added, remembering something, "she's also barely been eating this last week."

"I see," Phlox said quietly. "Well, let's get you into the imaging chamber and we shall see, hmm?" T'Pol looked as if she was going to argue but one sharp look from Trip was enough to convince her to climb into the chamber.

When all the scans had been completed, Phlox studied the results while they waited for T'Pol to join them.

"So, Doc," Trip began once she came out, "what's the verdict?"

"Commander," Phlox told him, "you know I can't tell you that. Test results are private and subject to doctor-patient confidentiality. So, if you'd please step outside while we go over the results?"

"Huh-uh," Trip said, shaking his head adamantly. "I ain't goin' anywhere, Doc. You can forget that!" He crossed his arms across his chest and planted his feet wide apart, he was frowning and it was clear he had no intention to move anytime soon.

"Commander," the doctor began, frowning himself but before he could say anything else, T'Pol spoke up.

"It is alright, Doctor," she assured him. "You can speak freely in front of the commander; you have my permission."

"If you're sure?" the doctor asked.

"I am," she answered firmly with a small nod for emphasis.

"Very well," Phlox nodded before looking down at his padds as if he needed to check the results once more. "According to the test results, your cortical levels are on the rise as are your serotonin levels; your hormones and endorphins are also high and rising – soon, they'll all reach critical levels. You know what that means," he added, looking straight at T'Pol.

"Is there any chance the results are wrong?"

"None," Phlox denied.

"Could the microbe be the cause?" she inquired, while Trip looked between them in confusion.

"No," Phlox shook his head. "I'm sorry but there's no evidence that you've contracted the microbe again. I'm afraid that this time it is your natural cycle."

"But it is too soon," she argued. Even though she knew he was right, she couldn't stop arguing; she was not ready for it. "My cycle was not supposed to start for another few years."

"Something must have triggered it early," Phlox shrugged. "I'm sorry but there's no doubt about it; you're undergoing your first Pon Farr."

"I'm sorry," Trip interrupted them, more than exasperated about being left out of the conversation. "Pon Farr? What's that? And how dangerous is it?"

Phlox looked at T'Pol to see if she would answer the commander; when she didn't say anything but instead gave him a nod, Phlox took a deep breath as he prepared to answer the commander himself.

"As you know," he began in a voice that said Trip was going to get more information than he'd probably needed or wanted, "Vulcans have spent the past millennia striving for a life based solely on logic and eliminating all emotions."

"They have emotions, Doc," Trip corrected him. "They just spend most of their lives suppressing 'em."

"Exactly," Phlox agreed, nodding his head and smiling widely. "Their emotions are strong, much stronger than Denobulan or Human emotions. They're so strong, in fact, that before the Awakening, they drove the Vulcans to the brink of extinction. The Awakening taught them how to control their emotions so that they could continue their development without killing each other. Of course, instead of just controlling them, they had to go and suppress them. Well, no one ever said Vulcans aren't overachievers. But it would have made them more interesting if they'd tried to combine logic and emotion instead of eradicating one altogether . . ."

"Phlox!" Trip interrupted before the good doctor could really get going.

"Right," Phlox acknowledged, "I'm digressing. Now, where was I? Ah, yes," he smiled and went back into lecturing, "while repressing emotions might have saved Vulcan civilization, it didn't come without a price. Emotions, whether we like them or not, whether we embrace them or reject them, are a part of us; nature intended us to have them – to go against that, demands something in return."

"And that's what Pon Farr is?" Trip asked, curious and somewhat inpatient impatient to get on to the point of the discussion. T'Pol, for her part, stood next to Trip, breathing deeply and trying to maintain her composure. "Nature's way to of gettin' back at Vulcans for repressing their emotions?"

"In a matter of speaking," Phlox answered. "Whenever we feel emotions, our bodies have a corresponding physiological response; those responses are necessary to maintain our brain chemistry and keep it in balance. But since Vulcans don't 'feel' emotions,"

"They don't experience the physiological response," Trip ended for Phlox and the doctor nodded. "But as annoying as most Vulcans can be," Trip added with a small smirk, "I doubt they're mentally unbalanced."

"No, of course they're not," Phlox smiled. "However, because all the responses are suppressed, the chemicals have nowhere to go. They're bottled up until they're released in one big, well, chemical explosion."

"And _that's_ what Pon Farr is?" Trip asked again.

"Yes," Phlox nodded. "Every seven years, after they've reached maturity, Vulcans experience the Pon Farr, a neuro-chemical imbalance that takes on a form of madness, makes them lose all emotional control and culminates with the plak tow. During this period, the cortical levels rise and fall, as the brain's regulatory system pretty much shuts down. Serotonin levels become unbalanced, hormones and endorphins endorphin levels rise to a dangerous level. If the Pon Farr isn't satiated, it can be fatal within eight days of the onset."

"Fatal??" Trip exclaimed, shocked. "You're tellin' me T'Pol could die from this?!"

"Yes," was the short response. Before Phlox could say anything, Trip asked a follow up question.

"Well, you said she has to satiate it. How does she do that?" he wanted to know, anxious to get T'Pol the help she needed.

"As you know," Phlox began, looking at T'Pol once more to see if she had any concerns about the conversation, but she was still looking at the floor, seemingly content to let Phlox take the lead, "Vulcans are notoriously private about most aspects of their culture, especially when it comes to their medical history. But as far as I've been able to determine," and he'd done quite a bit of research after T'Pol's first aborted bout with Pon Farr, "there are three ways in which Pon Farr can be satiated: Intensive meditation,"

"Good, that's good," Trip nodded. "T'Pol can do that then." But the look in Phlox's face said that wasn't really an option. "She can't satiate it that way?"

"Well," Phlox began and looked at T'Pol again, hoping that she'd take over because continuing meant revealing her past medical history.

T'Pol wasn't comfortable speaking of such private matters, but Trip was her mate and had a right to know. In fact, she should have probably explained all about Pon Farr before this, but the right time hadn't presented itself. She knew letting Phlox tell him about it now was somewhat cowardly, but it helped if the doctor presented the information as a lecture, it gave her much needed distance from it. Still, some answers she should give herself.

"With my compromised neural pathways," she said, speaking up for the first time, "meditation is not a viable option for me."

"Ok," Trip nodded, without asking what she meant about compromised neural pathways and Phlox realized that Trip must know all about T'Pol's addiction and that meant that the two commanders must have gotten a lot closer than anyone on the ship suspected. "So, what's the second option?" he asked. He and T'Pol had done a lot of talking in the last two weeks and, while she hadn't gone into too much detail, he knew all about the Pa'nar and the Trellium addiction.

"The second option is to participate in a kal-if-fee challenge," Phlox told him.

"Kalifi?" Trip repeated, mangling the pronunciation. "What's that?" he asked, looking between the two of them.

"It literally means challenge," T'Pol once again answered. "It was the traditional passion fight to the death when two males fought for the right to mate with a female."

"A fight to the death?!" Trip asked, horrified.

"It was the tradition before the Awakening," T'Pol clarified. "While it was done as a way to settle betrothal disputes, the pure physicality of it also serves served to purge the Pon Farr."

"At any rate," Trip decided, still looking mildly appalled. "That's out too. What's the third option?" He asked and this time, T'Pol looked to Phlox to answer.

"The third option," Phlox said, with an inaudible sigh, "is to take a mate."

"A mate?!" Trip asked, just when he thought he couldn't be more surprised, the Vulcans had to prove him wrong. "You mean, they have to have sex or they die?" he asked for clarification and Phlox once again nodded. And before he could stop himself, "Talk about every young man's wet dream," he murmured, smirking.

"Commander, really!" Phlox exclaimed, annoyed. "This is no joking matter."

"I know, Doc, I know," Trip agreed. "It's just . . ." he trailed off and turned to look at T'Pol. "You Vulcans never did anything the easy way, huh?"

"Commander," Phlox said, looking at T'Pol and ignoring Trip, "I need your authorization to inform the Captain of your condition; we need to get you to Vulcan and find you a mate as soon as possible."

"NO!" both Trip and T'Pol answered immediately and emphatically and took Phlox aback.

"Commander," he repeated, looking at T'Pol, once he got over the surprise, "this is serious. We need to get you help as soon as we can and our best option is to go to Vulcan. It'll be easier to find someone to help you there, if we wait too long we'll have to . . ."

"Doctor," T'Pol said, interrupting him, "it is not necessary to go to Vulcan because my bonded mate is here on Enterprise."


	2. Chapter 2

**Moving Forward**

**Disclaimer: **Nope, they still don't belong to me.

**A/N: **Well, here's the next chapter. I'm glad you liked the first one. Thanks for all the reviews!! Again, all the medical info comes from Alpha Memory – I just interpreted them my way to fit my little world! Enjoy!!

**Chapter 2**

"Yeah," Trip growled, taking an aggressive step forward. "There's no way T'Pol's gonna mate with anyone but me."

"Trip," she said softly, placing her hand on his arm to stop him and pulled him back to her side. Her touch seemed to calm him a little; he nodded and took a deep breath.

"Ah," Phlox said, looking from one to the other, nodding. "I see; that explains a lot," he murmured. "Wait a minute," he added, as something she'd said registered. "Your _bonded_ mate?"

"Yes," T'Pol said with a small nod.

"You two share a mating bond?" he asked for clarification and both Trip and T'Pol nodded.

"How long?" he asked tightly.

"We're not sure," Trip answered, frowning at the urgency in Phlox's voice. "As far as we can figure, it happened sometime during our time in the Expanse. We think it was a combination of the neuro-pressure session and how close we got dealing with everything that happened that year," he added, after shooting a look at T'Pol.

"That was more than two years ago!" Phlox exclaimed, glaring at them.

"Yeah," Trip nodded. "What's the problem, Phlox?"

"The problem, Commander," Phlox told him, "is that a Vulcan mating bond is a telepathic bond and all telepathic bonds have a physiological component. They might be perfectly normal for Vulcans but _you_ are not Vulcan! There's never been a case of a human bonding with a Vulcan; we have no idea the kind of repercussions there could be. I should have been informed from the beginning and you should have been monitored!"

"Oh, come on, Phlox," Trip said. "This is a private matter."

"That very well may be true," Phlox told him, still glaring at him. "But it is also a potential medical problem and as such I should have been informed. I guess I shouldn't be surprised you didn't know any better, considering your normal aversion to coming to sickbay. But you," he said, turning to T'Pol. "I'm surprised you didn't come to me. You _should_ have known better."

"Hey," Trip protested, once again taking a step forward in front of T'Pol. "There's no reason to talk to her like that."

"Trip," T'Pol said, placing a calming hand on his arm, once again, and pulling him back from his aggressive stance. "It is alright. The doctor is right. I, we should have come to him. We do not know what, if any, effects the bond could have on you."

"But, T'Pol," he protested, "at first, you didn't even know about the bond!"

"You didn't?" Phlox inquired and both shook their heads. "When did you discover it?"

"When Trip left for the Columbia," T'Pol answered.

"That was over six months ago!" Phlox reminded them, but at Trip's glare and T'Pol's unwavering gaze, he took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "That's why you weren't affected by the Orion's pheromones," it was as much a question as a statement.

"Yeah," Trip nodded.

"As far as I know," Phlox said, looking at T'Pol as something else occurred to him, "mating bonds are formed during marriage ceremonies." When she nodded, he continued, "then how is it that you were able to marry someone else, when you were already bonded to Mr. Tucker?"

"As we said," Trip answered for her. "We didn't know we'd bonded until after she was married and divorced," he added in a low voice.

"I know that," Phlox said, sounding a bit impatient. "What I'm asking is how the priest and the groom did not notice that a bond wasn't formed and that one already existed. Shouldn't they have noticed such a thing? I can't imagine it'd be easy to overlook." When Phlox finished asking the question, Trip also turned to look at T'Pol; interested in hearing the answer.

"Bonding is a very private matter," T'Pol answered quietly, and no one that didn't know her would realize how hard she had to work to keep control. "It is not something that is discussed openly in Vulcan society. As such, the only references we have come from stories that have been passed down from before the Awakening. No one really knows what a bond is like until they become bonded. Additionally, because the bond comes down from before the Awakening, most people had chosen to believe that it is a myth and, while it did not suffer from the same stigma as mind melds, the idea that two minds could bond was . . . distasteful. The more acceptable belief was that 'bonding' was a euphemism for marriage."

"So," Trip summarized, "they didn't find anything wrong 'cuz they weren't lookin for it."

"Yes," T'Pol nodded. "Also," she hesitated before continuing, "while the bond is formed during the ceremony, it also needs close proximity and intimacy for it to fully flourish."

"Like you and the Commander had during your time in the Expanse," Phlox commented, remembering that one of the reasons T'Pol had given for her use of Trellium had been getting closer to the crew and how he'd mentioned Commander Tucker as a specific example. Seemed he had been more right than he'd ever guessed.

"Yes," T'Pol nodded again. "That is the reason why bonded couples are expected to spend one full year in each other's company after the marriage ceremony."

"You didn't," Trip pointed out.

"No," T'Pol shook her head. "That was one of the conditions I had for going through with the marriage. I was not going to stay on Vulcan for that year; nor did I spend any time with Koss after the ceremony. I went to a monastery and spent my remaining leave in meditation and contemplation."

"In other words," Phlox interpreted, "not only weren't they looking for a bond but you were actively trying to stop one from forming."

This time, T'Pol just nodded once. Surprised, Trip turned to look at her with a small, pleased smile. He'd known she hadn't wanted to be married to Koss but to have additional confirmation that she had not wanted any bond with him was comforting. He supposed, they should have talked about this before but they'd had so many other things to go over that there hadn't been much time. Besides, they both kind of avoided the subject of her marriage. It was still painful for both of them.

"As interesting as all of this is," Phlox said, breaking the moment between Trip and T'Pol, "I need to examine you, Mr. Tucker. So, if you'd please get into the imaging chamber?"

"Come on, Doc," Trip protested. "Is that really necessary?"

"Yes, Commander," Phlox said firmly. "It really is. So, if you please?" he repeated, waving his arm to indicate the machine.

"Please, ashayam," T'Pol entreated. "You really should be examined." Trip started to protest but stopped when he saw how she was looking at him. With a sigh, he climbed into the imaging chamber.

Half an hour later, Phlox was reviewing the test results. "Hmmm, interesting. Very interesting," he said, looking from one screen to the next.

"I'm glad it's interesting," Trip said sarcastically. "But what's it mean? Am I okay or not?"

"Yes," Phlox answered. "You are fine."

"Okay," Trip said a few moments later when Phlox failed to add anything else. "So, what's so interesting?"

"Oh, your brain chemistry," Phlox answered cheerfully. "You see here?" He asked, pointing to a spot on the image of Trip's brain that looked pretty much like all the rest to Trip. "This is a portion of the human brain that is usually inactive. In fact, I have never seen this part of the brain active in any human. It seems that the bond has somehow activated it. Fascinating, really, how an alien telepathic touch was able to 'awaken' as it were, previously unused portions of your brain."

"But it is not hurting him, is it?" T'Pol asked, concerned. She hadn't really considered the possibility that the bond was re-writing his brain.

"No, no," Phlox hastened to assure her. "It's perfectly . . . well, I was going to say normal but it's not normal, is it?" He asked them with a smile that was not returned. "Yes, well, it's perfectly harmless. The commander is not being negatively affected by the bond. Though," he added in an intrigued tone, "his brain no longer looks quite human." At the alarmed looks of both his patients, he hurried to explain. "It's nothing to be concerned about; and it's really very subtle. I wouldn't have noticed it in a routine examination but when I look closer, I can see that here, here and here," he told them, pointing at specific places on the image, "the readings are closer to those of a Vulcan than a human. Like I said, it's very subtle and wouldn't have raised any flags but – it's interesting. Especially," he went on as he brought up another brain image, "when you compare it to T'Pol's scan and you find out that her chemistry is no longer completely Vulcan either and that the changes correspond to the changes in Commander Tucker. It seems that your brains have found a medium between the Vulcan and Human chemistry. Much as you'll have to do in your lives together, I imagine," he finished, looking at them with his characteristic wide smile.

Trip and T'Pol looked at each other and smiled. As disconcerting as finding out their brain chemistry had been altered, it was sort of nice to know that even their brains were looking for a compromise.

"Commander Tucker," Phlox said, once again breaking the moment between the couple. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm good," Trip told him, looking puzzled. "I thought you said I was okay?"

"And you are," Phlox reiterated. "But," he added as he brought up various test results and seemed to be rechecking something. "Your testosterone levels seem to be quite high as are some of your other hormonal levels. And I've noticed that you've been more aggressive than usual tonight."

"Don't know what to tell ya, Doc," Trip shrugged. "I feel fine."

"Doctor," T'Pol asked. "What are you thinking?"

"I'm not sure," Phlox said slowly. "T'Pol, when did your symptoms start?" he asked, seemingly out of nowhere.

"I am not sure," T'Pol answered. "A few days ago."

"Can you be more specific?" the doctor wanted to know. When T'Pol said, "I don't think so," Phlox turned to Trip who shrugged and answered.

";Bout five, six days," he guessed.

"Five or six days ago?" Phlox repeated. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I guess," he started to answer but he trailed off and Phlox jumped on that.

"But?" he prompted and Trip rubbed the back of his neck before answering.

"Well, there was this . . . episode about two weeks ago," he looked at T'Pol, who had straightened in annoyance. "It wasn't that big a deal," he quickly tried to back pedal.

"Really?" Phlox wouldn't let it go so easily. "What happened?"

"Nothing really," Trip shrugged. "We had a . . . misunderstanding but we talked it out and everything was fine."

"And there were no more mood changes or anything out of the ordinary until five, six days ago?" Phlox needed to be sure.

"No," Trip answered but then he hesitated and added, "Well, she has been more irritable than normal."

"Are you sure you know what's normal for her, Commander?" Phlox was genuinely curious.

"Phlox," Trip told him, "we've been bonded for two years; that means we've been in each other's heads for all that time. We might not always have known about it, but trust me, I know what her normal is." Through the bond, he had been feeling how uncomfortable T'Pol was with the conversation, but it was suddenly spiking and he decided to try and end it. "Phlox, where is this going?"

"I need to be sure of when her Pon Farr started," Phlox told him.

"Wait, hold on a minute," Trip said, holding up a hand. "Are you saying that T'Pol's Pon Farr could've started two weeks ago? I thought you said it had to be sated within eight days! If she's had it for two weeks that means she can keel over dead any minute?!"

"Calm yourself, Commander," Phlox said evenly. "She's not about to keel over, as you so eloquently put it. Her readings are somewhat higher than I'd expect, but she's stable for now. However, there are some anomalies that I'd like to investigate."

"Anomalies?" Trip asked, not at all calmly. "What do ya mean? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Phlox assured him. "As I stated, Pon Farr usually needs to be sated within eight days. That, however, is a guideline; how long Pon Farr last depends on the individual. Normally, though, the onset lasts between 3 to 5 days; with the loss of control being minimal at the beginning and increasing in difficulty as the days go by, culminating in the plak tow, or blood fever, where all control is lost and only the urge to mate remains. That lasts another 3 to 5 days – again depending on the individual."

"Okay," Trip said, slowly, thinking through what Phlox said and seeing where he was going. "But T'Pol's had the 'symptoms' for something like two weeks," he stated, thinking out loud and Phlox nodded. "Has she reached this 'plaek too' stage yet?"

"No," Phlox shook his head. "According to my readings, she's close but not quite there yet. And that's another thing that has me intrigued: she's so close to it that her control should be all but gone. But look at her," he continued, turning to look at T'Pol with a critical eye, "she looks to be in complete control."

Trip thought that 'looks' was the operative word in that sentence because while T'Pol looked to be in complete control, in reality, that control wasn't complete and it was all she could do to keep it in place.

"What does that mean, Doctor?" T'Pol asked, speaking for the first time in the last few minutes.

"Does that mean that she won't lose all control once she gets the blood fever?" Trip wanted to know.

"I don't think so, Commander," Phlox answered Trip first. "Once the blood fever hits, the emotions will be too strong for anyone to control them. As for what does it mean," Phlox added, looking at T'Pol, "I am unsure - other than the fact that you'll probably be having one of the longest Pon Farrs ever."

"I wonder," T'Pol said thoughtfully with a sly look at Trip.

"Yes?" Phlox inquired.

"I am the first Vulcan to have bonded with a human," she pointed out and while Phlox looked intrigued, Trip looked uncomfortable.

"Yes, you are," Phlox agreed. "What are you thinking?"

"Unlike Vulcans," she began, "Humans know how to control their emotions. They do not repress them but rather embrace them; they know how to live with their emotions –even when they're in emotional upheaval, they managed to still live productive lives – for the most part. What if Trip," she paused minutely to look up at the fidgeting Commander, "has been helping me keep control?"

"Hmmm," Phlox said, thinking. "Interesting theory," he mused. "But that would only be possible if . . ." he trailed off and then asked out of the blue, "Commanders, are you two sexually active?"

"Phlox!" Trip exclaimed, his face slowly going red. "What's that gotta to do with anything?"

"Mr. Tucker, please," Phlox said, sighing. "It has everything to do with it. As you know, mating and the desire to procreate is the most basic, strongest primal instinct any species has. Frankly, given how stubborn Vulcans are, I think it is the only instinct that could break through their control," he said, as an aside, but when confronted with Trip and T'Pol's frowns, he went back to the topic. "As you also know, the Pon Farr is a culmination of all those repressed instincts coming out."

"So," Trip said, frowning in thought. "You're sayin' that because we've been," he hesitated and rubbed his neck before finally admitting, "sexually active, her instincts haven't been as repressed, the explosion isn't as big as it could have been?"

"Well," Phlox answered slowly, "I'm not sure whether it's any smaller but it certainly seems to have a shorter fuse."

"So," Trip concluded, sounding upset. "I'm basically makin' this thing last longer than it has to?"

"Ashayam, don't look at it that way," T'Pol told him softly, turning to look at him and placing a hand on his cheek, showing more emotion that Phlox had seen in a long time. "Instead, concentrate on the fact that, without your assistance, these emotions would have already overwhelmed me. It's because of you that my first Pon Farr will not be as bad as it could be."

"But if it wasn't for me," Trip insisted, feeling dejected, "it'd already be over."

"Trip," she told him firmly. "It might be longer, but in the long run it won't be as traumatic because of you. Please, think of it like that."

"She's right," Phlox agreed. "It might seem counter-intuitive but the fact that the Pon Farr is taking longer to reach critical point means that her body doesn't have such a hard time dealing with all the changes. As a result, once it is done, she will have experienced far less trauma."

"What about when she gets the blood fever?" Trip asked again. "Will that last longer too? Will it not be as strong?"

"Unfortunately, Commander," Phlox said, shaking his head regretfully, "I just don't know. You two are the first Vulcan/Human couple; we're in uncharted territory. It seems as if being trailblazers is in your lot in life."

"Just what I always wanted to be," Trip said sarcastically.

"I'm sure you'll do fine," Phlox told him, with a wide smile. But then he turned serious, "We might not be sure what will happen exactly, but we know enough that I think it might be better if we ask the captain to stop by Vulcan."

"Why?" Trip asked him, frowning. "I thought it was settled that T'Pol didn't need to look for a mate."

"Of course," Phlox said, nodding. "I just meant that it is a very private time and, given the size of this ship, privacy will be almost impossible to achieve. Especially," he added, "when according to these readings, T'Pol won't be the only one going through Pon Farr."

"What?!" Trip asked, alarmed.

"Doctor, what do you mean?" T'Pol asked, surprised and alarmed herself.

"The reason I asked whether Commander Tucker was feeling okay," Phlox explained, "was because his hormones levels are indicative of the first stages of Pon Farr."

"What?" Trip asked again.

"How can that be?" T'Pol inquired. "Pon Farr is a uniquely Vulcan phenomenon."

"So is the mating bond," Phlox said with a shrug. "And yet, you share one. I think you two have pretty much thrown what, up to now, had been established facts out of the window. Like I said earlier, we're in completely uncharted territory."

"Ok, so we're trail blazers," Trip said, still visibly startled. "But what's that mean for us right now. Am I gonna lose my mind too?"

"Commander," Phlox reprimanded him. "Vulcans don't really lose their minds; they just lose . . ."

"Yeah, Doc," Trip interrupted him, anxiously. "I get it. I just wanna to know what's gonna happen to me."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Tucker," Phlox said, sounding genuinely apologetic, "I just don't know. But given what I've witnessed tonight and the high level of your hormones, and the fact that they keep rising, I'd say that you are going to have a problem with control. Whether they'll rise as high as T'Pol's is impossible to say. What I can say is that you won't be in complete control. You two need a more private environment than Enterprise provides."

"That's true," Trip said, biting his lip in thought. He was concerned about what going through Pon Farr might mean but he knew that whatever happened, he had to make sure his and T'Pol's privacy was protected. "We're less than two days from Vulcan – less if we increase speed. Might not be a bad idea," he told T'Pol.

"We'd need to talk to the Captain," T'Pol commented.

"Yeah," Trip agreed. "But we been meaning to anyway," he reminded her.

"Indeed," T'Pol nodded once.

"Whatever you decide," Phlox told them, "you better decide soon. I need to let the captain know I'm placing you both on medical leave. Vulcans are notoriously possessive of their mates during Pon Farr; we wouldn't want any accidents, would we?"

"No, we wouldn't," Trip answered, thinking of the way T'Pol had reacted the two times she'd seen him with Jennifer and how he'd felt whenever Phlox acted the least confrontational with T'Pol. "Okay, Doc, can you give us a couple hours before talking to the captain?"

"Yes," Phlox replied. "But not a minute more."

"No problem, Doc," Trip said, placing his hand on T'Pol's lower back and guiding her out of sickbay.

"Commanders," Phlox called out before they could leave. "Given the uncertainty of Mr. Tucker's prognosis, I'd feel better if I could monitor you while you go through the Pon Farr."

"Ah, Doc," Trip protested while T'Pol frowned in distaste at the thought. The fact that Phlox could tell she was frowning indicated how much she didn't like his suggestion. Commander Tucker's well being was his priority, however, and however much it might offend their sense of privacy, he intended to monitor them – even if he had to go to the captain. "I'll be fine," Mr. Tucker was trying to reassure him. "I'll come see you as soon as it's done, I promise."

"I'm sorry, Commander," Phlox shook his head. "That's not good enough. A lot of things could go wrong that would need to be treated immediately and I can't be sure that either of you would be coherent enough to make sure you get that treatment." He sighed and attempted a compromise when he saw how distressed both patients looked, "I'll tell you what, if you both agree to wear cortical monitors, I won't insist on personal check ups."

Trip and T'Pol looked at each other before T'Pol nodded and said, "That would be acceptable."

"Ok, then," Phlox nodded and moved away to get the monitors. A few minutes later, he was attaching them to the back of their necks, neither one wanted to explain to curious friends why they were wearing them.

"I expect full cooperation if I think I need to intervene," he warned them, expecting their agreement, even though he knew he'd have a fight on his hands, because chances were both would react violently to any interference with the natural resolution of the Pon Farr.

"Sure, Doc," Trip promised him while T'Pol nodded her acquiescence. "And thanks!" he told him sincerely before turning to leave.

"You're welcome, Commander," Phlox called after them.


	3. Chapter 3

**Moving Forward**

**Disclaimer: **They're not mine.

**A/N: **Well, here's the last chapter. I hope you guys like it. I also hope that any OCC on Trip and T'Pol's part is explained to everyone's satisfaction. Please, let me know what you think.

**Chapter 3**

A few minutes later, they were entering T'Pol's cabin.

"So," Trip said as T'Pol started to set things up for meditation. "Would you like me to talk to the captain alone?" he asked, pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"If you would not mind," she told him, looking up from where she was placing the candle.

"No, course not," he shook his head; in fact, it might be even better if he went by himself. That way he and John could have a man to man talk.

"Thank you," T'Pol told him sincerely and Trip smiled before turning to leave. Before he touched the control panel, he hesitated and turned back. "T'Pol?" he said, hesitantly.

"Yes?" she said, opening her eyes to find a nervous looking Trip Tucker looking down at her.

"We're going to be staying at your mom's house while on Vulcan, right?" he asked and T'Pol nodded. "I was thinking that since we're going to be on Vulcan, it might be a good idea to get married." When she just stared at him without saying anything, he called out, "T'Pol?"

"I'm sorry," T'Pol said slowly. "You just took me by surprise. Are you sure you'd like to . . .?"

"Get married," he finished for her. "Yes, I'm sure. There's nothing I want more than to be married to you. I know you're not really comfortable with such an informal relationship. So, the only question that remains is: would you like to marry me?" She studied him for a long moment before nodding.

"I would be honored to call you 'husband'," she finally told him and he let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding.

"Yes!" he cried out before stepping forward and hauling her up for a big kiss. "You won't regret it, T'Pol! I promise to do everything in my power to make you happy."

"I am not in the habit of regretting my decisions," she informed him firmly before breaking into a small smile and admitting, "I know you'll do your best to . . . 'make me happy'."

"You bet I will," he grinned and swooped down for another long kiss. "T'Pol," he grinned when he came up for air. "Do you still have the robes you got married in?"

"Yes," she said slowly, not sure why he was asking.

"Do you think you wearing them for our ceremony?" he asked her and he could feel how surprised she was through the bond, though the only physical reaction she had was a slow blinking. "You're surprised," he said.

"Yes," she nodded. "That was a difficult time for both of us. I am unsure as to why you would like to have anything at our wedding that would remind you of it."

"That's precisely why," he told her and only confused her more. He sighed and tried to explain, "T'Pol, that day was probably one of the most difficult days I've lived through. I'd just like to take away most of its . . . potency as it were. You looked breathtaking in those robes and if I see you walk towards me while you're wearing them, I'll be able to replace that awful memory of you marrying someone else with the memory of you marrying me. Seeing you in those robes on our wedding day won't bring back any memories of your wedding to Koss, it will instead, replace that horrid memory with the beautiful memory of us finally getting our happily ever after."

"It does not sound very logical," she told him with a tiny frown, "but I, too, would like you to wear my father's robes. I'll have the caretaker prepare the robes when I call her to tell her to get the house ready for our arrival."

"Thank you," he told her sincerely. "One last thing," he said and smiled sheepishly when she raised an eyebrow. "I'd like to invite the Captain, Phlox and Malcolm to come to the wedding. I know, I know," he added when she opened her mouth to protest. "We wanted to keep our relationship low key and out of Starfleet's knowledge, but Phlox already knows, the captain is going to know in a minute and Malcolm is a very good friend. Not to mention he's the tactical officer and if anyone's bound to accidentally find out it's him; it'd be much easier all around if I told him now and gained his cooperation. He can be pretty discrete when he wants to."

"I am not averse to having our friends attend our wedding ceremony," since she had no family and his wouldn't be able to attend, having their friends there made perfect sense. "I am concerned about what Starfleet will say when they find out about us."

"Well, like you told me some time ago," he shrugged, "we're of the same rank and are not breaking any regs. Plus, we've already proven that we can perform our jobs without lettin' our personal feelings affect us." When she raised one eyebrow even higher than before, he added, "Ok, so I left for the Columbia 'cuz of personal feelings, but I came back." This time, she didn't raise an eyebrow, but he could feel her feelings through the bond. "Okay, so that had something to do with personal feelings too, but they don't have to know that, do they? Besides, if anything, that shows that we can't be separated 'cuz we don't deal well when we're far apart."

"Do you think that will be enough for them to keep us together?" she asked.

"It should," he answered. "And didn't you just say that Vulcan newlyweds are expected to spend the first year together? We can tell them either we stay together or we resign."

"Are you sure you want to do that?"

"Yes," he said firmly. "The fact is I don't wanna be separated from you. As much as I love being on Starfleet, I wouldn't wanna be on it if we're sent to different ships. Would you?"

"No," she answered, without hesitation, and calmed him down before he could really start to worry. "I just want to be sure you know what you're doing. I wouldn't want to hold you back or for you to do something you didn't want to do and have you resent me later on."

"Trust me," he told her, smiling. "I won't. So, that's settled, then? I'll tell the captain and then invite him, Phlox and Malcolm to the wedding?" At her nod, he smiled. "Great! Now, I'm gonna go so you can meditate in peace. I'll be back later." With that he left a bemused T'Pol to try and meditate.

A few minutes later, Trip was ringing the bell on the captain's cabin.

"Trip!" Archer greeted him with a wide smile when he saw who it was that had come calling. "How are you?"

"Fine, Captain," Trip answered, as he followed the captain into the cabin. "You?"

"Fine, fine," Archer answered as he sat down on his bed. "So, what brings you back this fine evening? Are you in the mood to watch some Water Polo?"

"Not tonight, Captain," Trip shook his head. "I actually need to talk to you 'bout something important. You got a minute?"

"Sure, Trip" Archer answered, leaning forward and putting his elbows on his knees. "What's on your mind?"

"Well," Trip said, rubbing the back of his neck, not sure how to begin this conversation. "I'm not sure where to start!" he said on a half laugh.

"The beginning is usually a great place," Archer said, grinning and curious. The last time he'd seen Trip that nervous, the younger man had asked for a transfer. He hoped tonight wouldn't be a repeat; he'd sure hate to lose Trip again.

"The beginning?" Trip mused. "That might be going a bit too far back. I guess first thing's first. I just came from sickbay and . . ."

At the word sickbay the captain had straightened and all levity had left his expression. "What's wrong?" he asked, interrupting Trip. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Trip assured him. "It's not me, it's T'Pol." Before he could say anything else, Archer was interrupting him again.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked. "Is it serious?"

"It's pretty serious," Trip answered. "Have you heard of Pon Farr?"

"Yes," Archer nodded once before standing up. "Is that what she has?" When Trip nodded, Archer didn't wait for anything else before moving to the comm., declaring, "I'll have Travis change course to Vulcan immediately. We'll go to warp 4.5 and we should be there in less than a day."

"That's not," Trip started to say but Archer was too worried to listen to him. "John!" Trip finally raised his voice to get the captain's attention. "Stop; calm down. That's not necessary."

"Not necessary?" Archer asked, incredulous. "Do you even know what Pon Farr is, Trip? If she doesn't resolve it in time she could die!! We need to get her to Vulcan ASAP. And why are you the one telling me this and not Phlox?" He demanded, just now realizing that the chief medical officer should have been the one delivering this type of news.

"He'll call you in a little bit," Trip waved that aside and continued before Archer could ask any more questions. "We don't have to go to Vulcan because I'll be . . . helping her with the Pon Farr. Although, we would like to go to Vulcan anyway, that's the second thing I'd like to talk to you about," he added but Archer had stopped paying attention at the word we.

"You'll be helping her . . .?" he asked, surprised and bewildered. "See," he said after a moment, "that's why you should start at the beginning. Otherwise, news like this just doesn't make any sense."

"Yeah, I know," Trip admitted before taking a deep breath and telling John everything. Well, not everything, just enough for him to understand that Trip and T'Pol were in a committed relationship and wanted to get married before T'Pol's Pon Farr stripped her control.

"Wow!," Archer said, after Trip had finished, as he leaned back on his chair. "That's a lot to take in."

"I know," Trip nodded. "And I woulda told ya sooner but, quite frankly, at first I didn't know what the heck was goin' on or what I would tell you and later, there was nothin' to tell and now . . ." he shrugged and trailed off.

"So," Archer said after a few moments of silence. "You guys are bonded?"

"Yep," Trip grinned. "It's this Vulcan thing couples have. . ."

"I know what it is," Archer interrupted what was sure to be a convoluted explanation. On the one hand, Trip was glad Archer knew and he wouldn't have to explain what he wasn't sure he himself fully understood yet. On the other hand, he was more than surprised that Archer knew what it was.

"How?" was all he said.

"I had Surak in my head for days, remember," Archer answered, tapping his temple to indicate where Surak had stayed. "While I don't remember everything the old guy knew, I do remember some stuff."

"And the mating bond is one of them?" Trip asked.

"Yeah," Archer nodded. "That's a pretty important part of Vulcan culture."

"I know," Trip said. "So, what else do ya remember from Surak?" Trip wanted to know.

"Not much," Archer shrugged. "Mostly, I don't even know what I remember until something happens that makes realize I know something but I'm not sure how I know it. It's not a lot, though, and the more time that passes, the less I remember."

"That sucks," Trip sympathized.

"I'm not sure that it does," Archer confided. "I mean, as great as having his memories was, it was also a bit of a pain, you know? Having my own memories and regrets are more than enough. I don't need another man's on top of my own."

"Yeah," Trip drawled. "I can sure understand that."

"Yes," Archer said before going back to the topic at hand. "So, no need to go to Vulcan?"

"No," Trip shook his head. "Well, there's no need but we would like to go nevertheless."

"Why?"

"For one thing, there's no privacy on Enterprise," Trip answered him. "I have no idea what kind of excuse Phlox could come up to explain why T'Pol and I need to be confined to quarters for the next few days." Archer grimaced as he thought of what that would entail. "For another, T'Pol and I would like to have a Vulcan marriage ceremony before going through it."

"Really?" Archer asked, thinking that he really shouldn't be surprised at anything at this point.

"Yes," Trip answered firmly and decisively. "We both want to be married. Neither T'Pol nor I feel comfortable with such an informal relationship, not when we both know this is for keeps."

"I see," Archer said slowly. "You know, I'd be happy to marry you guys."

"And we'd be happy to have you marry us," Trip told him sincerely and, even though they hadn't discussed the possibility, he knew it was true. T'Pol had a lot of affection for the captain and would be honored to have him preside over their wedding ceremony. "And when we have an Earth ceremony, you'll be the one we call. But since we're so close to Vulcan now and have this Vulcan mating bond and she's goin' through this Pon Farr, we just feel that a Vulcan ceremony'd be more appropriate at this time, that's all. Besides, we don't know when we'll be able to come back to Vulcan, so we wanna do it now."

"I guess I see your point," Archer conceded. "And since we're ahead of schedule and Admiral Gardner just finished telling me that Enterprise would have to wait a few extra days before it would be refitted, there were some problems with the NX-03, I think I can get us a few days' stop on Vulcan without raising too many questions."

"Thanks, John," Trip said earnestly. "We were thinkin' that maybe you could tell Starfleet that T'Pol has some family matters to take care of and it'd only take a few days at most."

"That sounds good," Archer agreed. "We are ahead of schedule and staying a few days in orbit around Vulcan would be better than cooling our heels around Jupiter Station until they're ready for us. I'll give the crew a few days R&R so they can visit Vulcan, since the last time we were over here, they didn't have the chance."

"Thanks John," Trip said again before grinning. "So, I can expect you to come to the wedding, can't I?"

"Try keeping me away!" John laughed.

"I'd ask you to stand up as my best man," Trip told him with a chuckle, "But that concept doesn't exist in Vulcan."

"I know," Archer told him. "Don't worry about it. I'm just glad I won't miss it! And don't think I'll forget for one minute, about me officiating for your Earth ceremony."

"I won't," Trip assured him. "In fact, I have to talk to T'Pol, but we should plan something while we're back at home. I'd like my family to come but, other than that, we could have it anytime."

"Well, better talk to T'Pol first," Archer advised him, "before you go making too many plans. I have a feeling she'd like to be involved!"

"You're probably right!" Trip laughed.

"Trip," Archer said, seriously a moment later. "About Starfleet . . ."

"You do what you have to do, John," Trip told him seriously, not letting him finish. "We knew that you'd have to report us when we made the decision to tell you. But we didn't want to start our new life with secrets and in the shadows. Just let them know that we are not open to the possibility of being separated. If we have to resign, we will but we won't serve on two different ships."

"That sounds like blackmail," Archer pointed out.

"It's not," Trip said firmly. "You know what being bonded means. Though no one seems to know what a mating bond with a human really means," he added with a shrug. "The only thing we do know is that we don't do well if we're separated. It might be that my human mind is not capable of dealin' with the separation like Vulcans can. I don't know. I just know that our bond is strong and I need to feel her mind on a regular basis, if I don't," he shrugged again. "I don't do too well," he repeated. "Just ask Captain Hernandez how well I did when I was on the Columbia."

"Yeah," Archer nodded. "I heard you weren't at your best over there."

"Nope," Trip admitted. "I wasn't. And I have a feeling that would only be worse now that we actually know we're bonded and have begun to use it."

"I'll do what I can," Archer promised Trip. "I'd hate to lose you guys, but I do know what being bonded means and that has to come first. I'll try and make that clear to Starfleet."

"That's all we ask," Trip told him. "Well, I better go now. I got a couple other stops to make before I call it a night." With that, he stood up and offered the Captain, who had also stood up, his hand. "I'm glad we finally had this talk, John."

"Me too, Trip," Archer said, slapping Trip on the shoulder and walking with him to the door. "And congratulations, I mean it; I know you and T'Pol will be very happy together. Well, as happy as Vulcans allow themselves to be!"

"Thanks, John!" Trip said and, with a final smile, walked out the door.

After stopping by sickbay to let Phlox know that the captain had already been advised of their situation and that he was invited to their wedding, Trip went to Malcolm's cabin.

"Trip," Malcolm said, surprised at finding the Chief Engineer at his doorstep. "What brings you by this late at night?"

"Mal," Trip greeted him. "I just wanted to chat with ya for a minute. Can I come in?"

"Sure," Malcolm nodded, stepping aside to let the other man pass.

"How ya doin'?" Trip asked, as he sat down on the desk chair.

"Fine," Malcolm answered, as he leaned back against the bulkhead by the door and crossed his arms. "You?"

"Fine, fine," Trip answered.

"Good," Malcolm said and then smirked. "So, now that that's out of the way, you want to tell me what's on your mind? Cause, I doubt you stopped by just to shoot the breeze. It's been a while since you've come by just to chat."

"Yeah," Trip said, regretfully. "Sorry bout that; it's just been crazy lately."

"Yes, I know," Malcolm told him. "Seems someone's being getting cozy with our first officer again."

"Mal," Trip said in warning but then sighed and gave in. "It's complicated."

"Trip," Malcolm scoffed. "Of course it's complicated. T'Pol is a woman and a Vulcan; were you honestly expecting it not to be complicated?"

"I guess I shouldn't have, huh?" Trip asked, grinning sheepishly.

"No," Malcolm answered simply. "You shouldn't have."

"Yeah, well," Trip shrugged. "That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."

"Really?" Malcolm asked, surprised and pleased. "Are you going to finally tell me any of the salacious details?"

"No," Trip chuckled and shook his head. "You know me better than that, Malcolm."

"Yes, I do," Malcolm agreed. "More's the pity. But, pray tell, what are you going to share with little ole me?"

"Well," Trip said, rubbing his neck, not quite sure where to start. "You know when you asked me, awhile back, if maybe there was more between me and T'Pol than neuro-pressure?"

"Yes," Malcolm nodded once. "Of course I do. Why? Are you finally ready to admit I was right?"

"No, yes, well, maybe," Trip answered, grimacing in indecision.

"Which one is it?" Malcolm asked, amused at seeing the engineer so confused.

"I guess," Trip said after a deep sigh, "we were starting something more, something important though we didn't know it at the time – or for quite a lot of time afterwards either."

"Trip," Malcolm said slowly, "you're not making any sense."

"No, I guess I'm not, am I?" Trip asked with a light laugh. He paused for a minute to think before speaking again, and then decided to just ask what he had gone there to ask. "Mal, do you want to come to our wedding or not?" He asked and had the distinct pleasure of seeing the usually unflappable tactical officer stunned speechless. "Mal?" he asked when a few moments had passed and the Brit officer still hadn't said anything.

"You and T'Pol are getting married?" Malcolm finally asked, sounding more than surprised. "When? How? Why?" He asked, more sputtering than anything else.

"Ok, let's take those questions one at a time," Trip said, grinning and really enjoying the discussion now. "Why? Because we want to spend our lives together. How? We're having a wedding ceremony, you know the usual way. When? We're on our way to Vulcan right now."

"We're on our way to Vulcan right now?" Malcolm interrupted him. "I thought we were on our way to Earth."

"We were," Trip answered. "But the Captain just got word that the NX-03 has run into some trouble and we're going to have to wait a few days for our turn in the Jupiter Station. And since T'Pol had some personal matters to take care of on Vulcan and we're so close," Trip shrugged. "The Captain thought it'd be a good idea to give the crew a little R&R on Vulcan since the last time we really couldn't do any sightseeing, and that way it'd give T'Pol the time to take care of what she needs down there," he felt a little bad for giving Malcolm the cover story but there was no way he was going to tell the other man the real reason why T'Pol needed to go to Vulcan. The Pon Farr was too personal.

"And you guys are taking advantage of the unscheduled stop and getting married?" Malcolm asked, just to clarify things.

"Somethin' like that," Trip said. "You wanna come?"

"Bloody hell yes," Malcolm nodded, vigorously. And then paused for a moment before asking, "But don't you think it's a bit soon? Getting married right now, I mean?"

"Soon?" Trip repeated. "No, I don't think it's too soon. I actually think it's at least two years overdue." When he didn't say anything else, Malcolm frowned and asked.

"You want to expand on that a little bit, perhaps?"

"I don't think so," Trip shook his head. "You know how private T'Pol is."

"I know," Malcolm said. "But you can't drop news like that on someone and not give more of an explanation."

Trip started to shake his head again but stopped as a thought occurred to him. Like he had told T'Pol, Malcolm was the tactical officer and it might be a good idea if he knew about the bond. As much as he liked being bonded to T'Pol, he was realistic enough to recognize such a bond could present a potential problem.

"Ok," he finally said with a decisive nod. "I'll give you a bit more information; but you have to promise you won't say a word to anyone. It's a very private matter and if anyone were to find out . . . well, let's just say that you don't want an annoyed T'Pol after you."

"I know. And I promise to not breathe a word to anyone. Scouts honor," Malcolm made what was supposed to be the Scouts hand signal.

"Mal, were you ever a Scout?" Trip asked suspiciously.

"Ok," Malcolm gave in. "I give you my word as an Englishman."

"Fine, then." Trip took a deep breath before saying, "T'Pol and I are bonded."

"Bonded?" Malcolm repeated. "Isn't that like being married already?"

"Sort of," Trip answered. "I guess culturally speaking we might be, though not legally – that's what the ceremony on Vulcan's for. What it basically means is that we share a Vulcan mating bond, a telepathic bond."

"A telepathic bond?" Malcolm asked more alarmed than surprised. "You mean like she's in your head and you're in her head?"

"Yeah," Trip nodded.

"You can talk to each other telepathically?" Malcolm wanted to know.

"Sometimes," Trip answered. "But that's only when we're really concentrating. Usually, it's more like we can feel what the other one feels, their mood - stuff like that."

"What the other feels?" Malcolm repeated. "I thought Vulcans didn't have emotions."

"Oh, Vulcans have emotions, all right," Trip said. "Believe me, they have them. And they're stronger than anything you or I could ever feel. They just control them to the extent that they almost don't feel them because to do otherwise would result in chaos. Uncontrolled emotions have already driven them to the brink of extinction once before. You _really_ don't want to run into a Vulcan that's lost control of his emotions."

Malcolm, who remembered how out of control the Vulcans aboard the Seleya had been, couldn't help but nod in agreement.

"And now you know more about Vulcan culture and history than just about anyone," Trip told him, looking steadily into his eyes. "I hope you realize what a responsibility that is and treat the information accordingly."

"I do, Trip," Malcolm assured him. "Don't worry; I won't ever mention anything about it – to anyone."

"Good," Trip nodded.

"But," Malcolm said, a few moments later, going back to the original topic, "you do know whether T'Pol loves you or not, right?" When Trip glared at him, Malcolm raised his hand and said, placatingly, "I don't mean to pry, Trip. I just, well, I just want to be sure that you're not in for a world of pain later on."

"Mal," Trip said with a small smile. "I appreciate your concern, I really do, but there's no need for you to worry. I know how T'Pol feels about me and, I'll tell ya, she's everything I've ever wanted or will ever want."

"If you're sure," Malcolm said, though he didn't sound too convinced. "It's just that she's so . . ."

"You better not say 'cold' or anything remotely like that, Mal," Trip said in a warning tone.

"I wasn't!" Malcolm protested. "I was going to say she's no where near as demonstrative as you. Won't that bother you? Cause you know she's never going to hold your hand in public or say 'I love you' or do anything remotely like that."

"I know that, Mal," Trip told him, seriously. "And no, it won't bother me; I fell in love with who she is, Vulcan reserve and all. Why would I want to change that now ?" Trip asked the same question he had asked of T'Pol two weeks earlier.

"I see your point," Malcolm acknowledged and, after a few seconds of thought, finally gave in to the grin that he'd been holding back. "In that case, let me be one of the first to offer my congratulations! I'm really happy for you guys, mate," he walked up to Trip and slapped his back after shaking hands.

"Thank you," Trip laughed. "So, you'll be comin' to the wedding?" Trip asked again.

"Wouldn't miss it, mate, wouldn't miss it," Malcolm reiterated. "About this bond of yours, though," he started to say, tentatively. "I'm sure it's great for you guys; but it does pose some security questions."

"I know," Trip nodded. "Linked like we are, what affects one affects the other. That'll create some problems if one of us is injured or captured."

"Yes," Malcolm nodded. "That's one concern."

"That's why I wanted you to know," Trip said. "After the Captain and Phlox, as tactical officer, you should really be in the know – just in case. If you have any ideas on how to address those concerns, let us know."

"I will," Malcolm told him. He hesitated a little before saying what was on his mind, "is that the only reason you told me? Because I'm the tactical officer?"

"No," Trip shook his head. "I'm telling ya cuz you're my friend; I wouldn't of told you if you were only the tactical officer. But having a logical reason for you to know makes it easier for T'Pol to accept."

"I see," Malcolm smiled and nodded.

"Well," Trip said, rubbing his hands together and standing up. "I better go now. It's late and T'Pol is waiting for me. Not a word," Trip added, raising a finger to stop Malcolm when the other man opened his mouth to comment. "Not a word!" He repeated as he walked towards the door. "I'll let you know the details 'bout the ceremony later. Have a good night, Mal," he called out as the doors closed behind him. Malcolm shook his head and laughed as he went to the bathroom to get ready for bed. It _was_ late after all.

Less than twenty-four hours later, they were in orbit around Vulcan. Having left Hoshi in charge, all of the command staff had gone down to the planet with the first wave of R&R personnel.

Archer, Malcolm and Phlox were all wearing their best civilian clothes and watched as Trip, wearing Vulcan's ceremonial robes (T'Pol's father's robes), struck the gong that had been set up in the courtyard of what they'd learn was T'Pol's family home.

"I wish they'd hurry up," Phlox said, fidgeting. And both Archer and Malcolm turned to look at him.

"I thought you'd be happy for them, Doc," Malcolm said, with a slight frown.

"I am," Phlox answered. "I just wish they would hurry up."

"Why?" Malcolm asked, grinning. "You have a better place to be?"

"No," Phlox shook his head. "It's just . . ." but before he could answer, Archer interrupted.

"Vulcan marriage ceremonies don't last too long, Phlox," Archer said, stopping the doctor from mentioning T'Pol's Pon Farr; he knew the couple didn't want that to be common knowledge. "They'll be done soon."

"I hope so, Captain," Phlox said, as he turned to study the area in the courtyard that had been arranged for the ceremony.

"What's he doing?" Malcolm asked Archer out of the corner of his mouth, motioning to Trip, when it became clear that he wasn't going to get a straight answer about whatever was bothering Phlox.

"He's summoning the bride and her entourage," Archer answered, also out of the corner of his mouth. "And announcing his intent to marry the female he's summoning." Malcolm looked at his captain with wide eyes, both surprised that he had known the answer and how he'd phrased that answer. Before he could say anything, however, the procession reached the courtyard and the acolytes took their place around the central area where two mats had been placed facing each other and a flame had been lit in a cauldron. Finally, T'Pol appeared.

"Wow," Malcolm breathed. "She's beautiful."

"Yes, she is," Archer agreed in a whisper. "But I suggest you keep quiet and remember how sensitive Vulcan hearing is." Malcolm startled a bit but then nodded a few times before quieting down and observing the action as both Trip and T'Pol knelt down in front of each other on the mats provided.

As Trip and T'Pol touched their index and middle finger together and stared into each other's eyes, the priest began the ritual ceremony.

"What ye are about to witness, comes down from the time of the beginning without change. This is the Vulcan heart, this is the Vulcan soul. This is our way."

**The End**


End file.
